


I'll Kick Your Ass, Hawkmoth

by ClareGuilty



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Identity Reveal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-19
Updated: 2020-05-19
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:53:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24278419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ClareGuilty/pseuds/ClareGuilty
Summary: “Marinette was almost akumatized yesterday.” The words made Adrien’s blood run cold.“What?!” Alya slammed her hands on the table. “Almost? What happened?”“That’s the thing,” Nino said, “It was really strange.”“I saw her in the park, at the fountain. She was crying, so I started to head over to see what was up, but then I saw the butterfly. I didn’t know what to do, but before I could even say anything, she had already seen it. It was… weird. She just kind of... laughed at it? Then she started telling it off.”“She started yelling at the akuma?” Adrien asked.“Yeah,” Nino looked just as bewildered as the other two. “All like ‘don’t you even think about it’ and ‘just you wait until I get my hands on you’ and ‘you think you can just hurt my friends? I’ll kick your ass’ -- typical Marinette things.”Marinette yells at an akuma and now she worries Hawkmoth may know her identity.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 21
Kudos: 512





	I'll Kick Your Ass, Hawkmoth

**Author's Note:**

> This is my fist time posting ML fic, I just love identity reveals so much!

“Hey guys,” Nino slid into his seat beside Adrien at lunch. He and Alya had been chatting, but both greeted him as he arrived. “I wanted to talk to you about something.”

Alya nodded, “Should I text Marinette? She can be here in a few minutes.” 

“No,” Nino shook his head, “It’s about her, actually.” 

Alya raised an eyebrow. Adrien looked between them. Something was up. Nino’s shoulders were hunched and he kept glancing around nervously. Something had happened.

“Marinette was almost akumatized yesterday.” The words made Adrien’s blood run cold.

“What?!” Alya slammed her hands on the table. “Almost? What happened?”

“That’s the thing,” Nino said, “It was really strange.”

“She’s okay now, though?” Adrien asked. Marinette was at home for lunch today, but she had seemed fine in class that morning. Had something happened? She must have been pretty upset for Hawkmoth to target her. Marinette was the only one in their class who hadn’t been akumatized yet -- aside from Adrien. Everyone believed it just wasn’t possible. Kind, strong, sweet Marinette, they had just assumed it couldn’t happen. 

They had been wrong.

“I think so.” Nino looked at his hands. He had been akumatized before, and while he couldn’t remember the events that happened, it’s something he wouldn’t wish on anyone. Especially not his closest friend. “I saw her in the park, at the fountain. She was crying, so I started to head over to see what was up, but then I saw the butterfly.”

Alya’s knuckles were white. She clearly looked like she wanted to butt in, but she waited for Nino to finish.

“I didn’t know what to do, but before I could even say anything, she had already seen it. It was… weird. She just kind of... laughed at it? Then she started telling it off.”

“She started yelling at the akuma?” Adrien asked.

“Yeah,” Nino looked just as bewildered as the other two. “All like ‘don’t you even think about it’ and ‘just you wait until I get my hands on you’ and ‘you think you can just hurt my friends? I’ll kick your ass’ -- typical Marinette things.”

“Typical Marinette things?” Adrien was still confused.

“I don’t know if you’ve ever seen her lose her temper, but it’s scary. She just kept yelling and screaming at the akuma until it turned around and just kind of flew away.”

Alya burst out laughing. “Of course she would! Marinette Dupain-Cheng threatening Hawkmoth! He’d be safer dealing with Ladybug, that’s for sure.”

Adrien was floored. He’d seen Marinette stand up for her friends, but she was always so shy and nervous around him. He had been so worried when Nino mentioned the akuma, but it made sense she could take care of herself.

Nino grinned. “When Ladybug catches him, I wouldn’t be surprised if Marinette shows up just to give him a piece of her mind.”

“The blog would love that,” Alya agreed.

“Guys,” Adrien was still processing everything he had heard. “Do you know what Marinette was upset about? Maybe we should see if we can help her, in case Hawkmoth tries again.”

Alya and Nino avoided Adrien’s gaze. “Yeah,” Alya nodded, “I’ll talk to her again. Let her know that we’re here for her. She’s one tough cookie, though. She can take care of herself.”

“She shouldn’t have to,” Adrien insisted, surprising Alya and Nino with his tone. “No one should have to face this alone.” He didn’t want to tell Alya and Nino that he thought they were taking things lightly, but he wasn’t about to take chances with Marinette. If she got akumatized, he didn’t know what he would do. “Maybe I should try and talk to her…”

“No,” Alya and Nino said at the same time.

“It’s probably just girl problems,” Alya shrugged, “She’d feel more comfortable talking to me.”

Something didn’t sit right with Adrien. His friends seemed to be hiding something from him, dismissing his fears and promising to handle things without him.

Marinette returned from lunch, and Adrien couldn’t help but watch her closely. Was she still upset? Why had she been crying in the first place? Was Marinette really strong enough to send an Akuma off on her own?

Nino elbowed him in the side, “Dude, quit staring.” And Adrien quickly looked away, rubbing his neck in embarrassment.

But something was up. And it was Adrien’s duty as Chat Noir and Marinette’s friend to make sure everything was okay.

Except he didn’t get the chance. Alya swept Marinette away right after school, and Wednesdays were always his busiest days, so he didn’t get home until 9pm that night.

The next night was patrol night. He figured he had no choice but to bring it up with Ladybug. It was a risk to his secret identity, but if he couldn’t get to Marinette then maybe she could. 

He got to the Notre Dame a few minutes early. It wasn’t his favorite meeting spot -- he preferred the Eiffel Tower or the Arc de Triomphe, but they tried to switch it up so they could cover different ground every week.

The gargoyles were his only company, impassive and uncaring of his worries. It was for the best, he told himself. He had to protect Marinette.

He was confident in his plan until Ladybug practically barrelled into him in her rush. “Hawkmoth may know my identity,” she said breathlessly.

As if Adrien needed another thing to worry about. “What?” He asked, still holding Ladybug in his arms. She hadn’t pulled away yet.

“Hawkmoth might know who I am.” She finally realized how close they were, and righted herself immediately. “I was almost akumatized two days ago.”

_ Marinette _ .

It wasn’t proof. It wasn’t much to go on at all, since he didn’t have anything else to back up his claim. But what were the odds that Hawkmoth tried to akumatize two different middle school girls with dark hair and beautiful blue eyes? Did Marinette always look so much like Ladybug?

“Chat?” She snapped her fingers in front of him, “I know this is scary, but we need to focus.”

“What happened?” he asked, still dumbfounded. Marinette was Ladybug, at least, he was pretty sure. And the next words out of her mouth would prove it.

“I was… pretty upset the other day, and I was crying at the park.” So far, it matched up exactly with Nino’s story. “I should have had a better handle on my emotions, but it’s hard sometimes. There’s just… so much going on all the time. I never get a break.” Tears welled in her eyes, and Chat pulled her in for a hug. 

“You’re safe here, Bug. I promise I won’t let him get to you.”

She nodded and took a breath. “I noticed the butterfly, but I couldn’t do anything about it in my civilian form. It wasn’t like I could just transform right there and purify it. So instead… I just told it to go away?”

“You told the akuma to go away? And it listened?” Chat did actually want to laugh at the absurdity of the situation.

“I just kind of went off,” Ladybug shrugged. “I was already upset, and I really didn’t have time to deal with an akuma. I told Hawkmoth that he could shove it. I’m just  _ sick _ of him messing with my friends and my family. He’s always ruining things for me, and I just wish I could have a normal week for once. It was fine at first, but I just kept going and going, and I didn’t realize some of the stuff I’d said until it was too late.”

“Like what?” Chat was trying to keep his cool, but there was no doubt that this was Marinette. He was holding  _ Marinette _ in his arms. The love of his life. His hero. His Lady.

“I told him I would kick his ass when we catch him. I told him that I had beaten every one of his stupid akumas, and I would beat a hundred more if that’s what it took. He’s just such a dick, and I’m so, so tired. But that means he knows who I am now, and it changes everything.”

“He might not know, actually.” Chat shrugged.  _ But I know. I know now. You were right there this whole time. _ “We don’t know if he can really see through the butterflies until a person has actually been akumatized.”

Ladybug slumped. “I don’t know. He always seems to know everything.”

“Well, the best thing we can do is be prepared.”

“You’re right,” Ladybug nodded. “We need a plan.”

Chat hesitated. He needed more answers. This was Marinette; she had been Ladybug for nearly two years at his side. He needed to know  _ everything _ .

“What were you upset about?” he asked. It was a start.

“It’s nothing,” she waved him of. He took her hand, forcing her to meet his eyes.

“It’s not nothing. If you were upset enough that Hawkmoth targeted you, then it’s important. I may not be the person you want to talk to about these things, but I need to know you’re safe, Ladybug.”

She blinked at him. “Right. You’re right. I need to control my emotions better. It’s too dangerous for one of us to get compromised.”

There was a quiet moment. Ladybug seemed to be deciding what to say.

“You know there’s a boy I’m in love with,” she said. Chat tried not to wince. “I haven’t told him how I feel. Every time I get the courage, something goes wrong. This week, he asked me for advice about another girl.”

Adrien furrowed his brow. Marinette had a crush on someone? A boy in their class? Who was she-

Oh

_ OH _

Adrien had asked Marinette about a birthday gift for one of the models he worked with. He hadn’t been specific with the details, just that he ‘wanted to get her something that mattered’.

She thought he liked somebody else.

“Mari-” she stiffened at the name, “Mari, I wasn’t going to ask her out. I just wanted to get her a good birthday gift! She turns 16 on Saturday.”

A moment of dawning realization. “ADRIEN?!” She leapt up, pointing at him. She looked terrified. “What? Who? How did you know?”

“Relax, Bug,” he raised his hands. “It’s gonna be okay. Nino told me about what happened at the fountain with the Akuma. It wasn’t hard to connect the spots when you told me tonight.”

She balked. “Connect the spots? Is that the best you could do?”

Still Ladybug. That was comforting.

He grinned, “Did you want me to say the cat was out o-” her hand clamped over his mouth.

“Oh no you don’t. You have had two years to come up with puns for our identities I am expecting nothing but greatness.”

He hand was still over Adrien’s mouth as she finally processed what was happening. “You know who I am. _You_ _know who I am._ And I know who you are? Adrien? You know about my crush. Oh no, this is bad this is _so bad_.” She took a few steps back, reaching for her yoyo as if she was going to run.

“Mari, wait,” Adrien grabbed her wrist. “Could you still love me? Even if I’m Chat Noir?” He knew the truth now. He couldn’t lose her.

She looked at him like he had grown a second head. “Could I? Kitty, I already love you. Now that I know you’re him, I can only love you even more.”

“Then what are you afraid of?” he asked.

She wasn’t ready for the question. Wasn’t ready to own up to it right then and there. But she was Ladybug. She was Marinette Dupain-Cheng and she never backed down. “I’m afraid you’ll realize that I’m not worth it. Ladybug is a hero. She’s everything I want to be. Marinette… clumsy, disappointing Marinette who can’t even get a full sentence out around you -- you never even saw me before.”

Adrien was hurt. He was angry at himself. How could Marinette think so little of herself? “Ladybug,  _ Marinette _ , I promised you I would love the girl behind the mask no matter who she is. I’ve been so caught up in waiting for you, I didn’t even consider that you --  _ Marinette _ you -- could have a crush on me. I should have noticed it earlier. It’s… kind of obvious now that I think about it.” He thought back to the blushing and stammering and really  _ really _ awkward excuses. Marinette, his lady, had been in love with him this whole time.

Ladybug slapped her forehead. “Yeah, I’m kind of an idiot.”

“No,” Adrien shook his head. “Don’t talk about yourself like that.”

She rolled her eyes. “You think too highly of me, kitty.”

He shrugged. “I love you.” The way Ladybug blushed would be his comfort for the next several days. “Hey, uh,” Adrien suddenly felt all of that embarrassment firsthand, “do you think if Adrien Agreste asked Marinette to be his girlfriend she would say yes?”

Ladybug, wielder of a miraculous, hero of Paris, shrieked and slipped of the Notre Dame. He ran to the edge of the roof, but she was already swinging back up with her yoyo.

“Do you think,” she asked breathlessly as she landed right beside him, “that Chat Noir would agree to be Ladybug’s boyfriend?”

He kissed her. Right there in front of the gargoyles. She froze for a moment before sliding her arms around him and pulling him even closer. It was perfect.

They held each other until the lights on the Eiffel Tower went out. The cathedral was plunged into darkness as well, strange shadows and dark shapes taking the place of the intricate statues. Chat could see just fine in the dark, and he watched as Ladybug furrowed her brow behind the mask. 

“We still don’t know what to do about Hawkmoth,” She said, pulling to her feet.

“We’ll face that danger if it comes. Together.”

“You and me?” She extended her fist.

He knocked their knuckles together before bringing her hand to his lips. “Always.”

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos are greatly appreciated! I'm definitely hoping to write more Ladybug fic!
> 
> Both my [Tumblr](http://www.clareguilty.tumblr.com) and my [Twitter](http://www.twitter.com/Clare_guilty) are 18+ only, just a heads up :D


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